Field-pence



UNITED STATES IgENT OFFICE.

E. E. LEWIS, OF GENEVA, NEW YORK.

FIELD-FENCE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 20,071, dated April 27, 1858.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EBENEZER E. LEWIS, of Geneva, in the county ofOntario and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fiel'd- Fences, and that the following is a true, clear,and eXact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, illustrative thereof, in which Figure l is afront elevation and Fig. 2 is a top plan thereof.

My improvements consist in so constructing the ends of the fence-panelsthat they will lock onto the posts and permit the posts to slide betweenthem so that the panels will be independent of the posts in order thatthe posts may be driven farther into the ground when disturbed by frostor rot without disturbing the panels and the panels may be removedwithout disturbing the posts and yet have them connected while togetherin a permanent and durable manner, the post being surrounded andprotected by the peculiar construction of the ends of the panels. Toaccomplish t-hese results I make the panels in any style desired, but attheir ends I form some convenient lock or groove which when buttedtogether form a channel through which the post may be driven into theground and permit the posts to be sunk below the top of the fencewhenever the decay or wear of the posts shall render it necessary andthe posts can then be followed with new posts through the sainechannels. Also with this arrangement any panel can be readily removed toform a temporary gate, or they may easily be removed to prevent snowfrom drifting in against them, which is often desirable for lanes androads in winter.

The construction of my improved fence will be better understood byreference to the drawings in whicha a a a are the posts and Z2, Z1, b,b, b, b, are pieces fastened to the panels and form part of the lock andpost channel.

In the horizontal board fence c c c c are perpendicular pieces to whichthe boards are fastened and which form the sides of the post channel.The fence boards project about half the width of the post beyond thesepieces and form the front of the post channel, and to the back edge ofthese pieces narrow strips are fastened which project about half thewidth of a post-so that when the ends of two panels are butted togethera perfect and continuous channel is formed which surrounds and protectsthe posts and holds the panels firmly in an erect position in everydirection-except that they may readily be raised up from the ground whendesired.

It will be observed that by constructing a fence upon this principle anyquantity of it may be manufactured during the winter and readily set upin pleasant weather and the great convenience which it presents forrepairs renders it for a series of years the most economical fence thathas yet been devised, while its great convenience in other respectsrenders it desirable both for farms and common roads. y

Having fully described my improvement what I claim therein as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is The combination of the panels andposts of a fence when arranged independent of each other substantiallyin the manner and for the purposes set forth.

E. E. LEWIS.

fitnesses INI. G. HBBARD, ALEXANDER Morr.

